Paul Laurence Dunbar

“Little brown baby wif spa'klin' eyes, who's pappy's darlin' an' who's mammy's honey?”

“He had his dream, and all through life, Worked up to it through toil and strife.”

“Because I had loved so deeply, Because I had loved so long, God in His great compassion Gave me the gift of song.”

“An angel, robed in spotless white, Bent down and kissed the sleeping Night.”

“The sun is a-waitin' for to switch on the light, The moon is a-hidin' her face in the night.”

“What is the province of the poem? To be beautiful. To be beautiful.”

“A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in, A minute to smile and an hour to weep in.”

“Beyond the years the answer lies, beyond the years the prayer.”

“The world is a rhyme; it is a rhyme, And the music of the spheres is a rhyme.”

“Life has its pain, its loss, its sorrow, And it is beautiful.”

“We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes.”

“Love is the only thing that matters, peeling away the layers of bone and soul.”

“Let me close my eyes and dream again.”

“There are no beaten paths to glory's height, There are no rules to compass greatness' flight.”

“I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore...”